Where’s All The Wind

Richard, Yes for the most part there’s a huge potential for pumped hydro through converting existing standard hydro power stations.

Lastly I have totally disagree with your comment about zero waste renewables.

The actual question is. Batteries might be improving quite often, Know what, I know as you can buy a 5kilowatt LiFePO unit for 12v applications in boats but they need a very complex charge regime and cost an arm and leg, and these will play a part by helping to balance the demand/supply through smaller scale domestic storage but can we honestly call them sustainable if we have to dig up vast tracts of the planet to get the base chemicals for them?? Big problem with Hydrogen is storage of it. It leaks out of everything. Now let me tell you something. CCS needs to be fully RD’d as this does offer a major chance to reduce emissions while still maintaining a base load supply but what actually was wrong with planting thousands of trees?

Oh that and That’s a fact, it’s extremely explosive.

While yes it can be used as a short term fuel and as the prime source of energy from fuel cells I am not convinced that H2 should be a truly long period energy storage solution.

Loch Lomond to pumped storage hydro will provide a massive boost to the storage capacity while only raising and lowering the loch’s water level by +/-2m. GW demand ain’t high and therefore represents the basal load that needs to be supplied any and almost any day, all day. Then, early in the morning I take a look at Gridwatch to see how much electricity the UK demand is and how it’s being generated.

Nor can it ever be, the major part, while wind will have a part to play in the energy mix it should not.

Thank you for your input in all this and I hope we can continue to discuss more things in the future.

Governments have wasted the opportunities but what do we expect from a 5 year lifespan? That said one man’s waste is anothers raw material so perhaps there’re ways to massively reduce waste actually. Hinkley budget on building a few more Dinorwigs or converting standard hydro to pumped storage with researching many other forms of storage but the decision is made.

We’ll have to agree to disagree on the waste of money wind turbines.-) When I check and see Coal producing identical amount as all those wind turbines I can’t could’ve been better spent.

Zero Waste -yes you are right to say that the end product has zero waste but you can not discount the waste that occurs in the building and maintaining of \renewable\ systems or the waste that comes from mining for the Rare Earth Elements that are needed for wind turbine magnets, for the sake of example.

That’s why I put my faith in industry to do the job without politicians. We live on a finite planet so nothing is truly renewable, even the sun will stop shining one day. Hydrogen Generators that need deionised, distilled water with fancy filters, driers and deioniser filters, all of which need chemicals and energy to produce. They are only interested in ensuring they get reelected again so will do what they have to achieve that end. Where loads of us are aware that there is a will So there’s a way.

As I said I’m not convinced about Hydrogen as a fuel but I hope I live to be proven wrong on that front.

Billy Connolly said it best \politicians!

Richard, This is why I started my blog to have well informed discussions about various subjects without the usual \hot air\ and \name calling\ that occurs on other unsocial media. Fact, perhaps industrial distillation of Hydrogen from water going to be more efficient, time may tell. On top of this, So it’s by this standard that I say there’s no such thing as \zero\ waste. Wind turbines -the money spent has not been wasted as you say, it has shown what could have been and the electricity price from them is falling every now and then, whilst the strike price for the Hinckley nonsense is currently a huge guess and will rise, Theresa, bless her, got it wrong! Batteries -yes they use elaborate materials but we have to try them and at city size -much impressive work going on here from the battery boys and girls -also with cars, range increasing. Notice, hydrogen -proper infrastructure will take care of the molecule size and yes it’s explosive but again, the correct set up will allow its storage and use as a valuable fuel in the electricity production process.

CCS -will prolong the life of our 600 year indigenous supply of coal and the CO2 captured can be used to produce fuels -Westminster should reverse its research decision here, the 1Bn could’ve yielded huge benefits in the future.

Obviously all power production processes will have waste generated in construction and decommissioning but even here renewables leave nuclear and fossil fuel systems standing. Zero waste renewables -yes they are -you are wrong -at the point of electricity production for wind turbines, solar power, pumped storage, tidal etcetera So there’s zero waste output from the electricity generating process. Just think for a moment. While yes it can be used as a short term fuel and as the prime source of energy from fuel cells I am not convinced that H2 might be a truly long time energy storage solution. It leaks out of everything. Lastly I have totally disagree with your comment about \zero waste renewables\. Loch Lomond to pumped storage hydro would provide a massive boost to the storage capacity while only raising and lowering the loch’s water level by +/-2m.

Big problem with Hydrogen is storage of it.

Batteries should be improving now and then, By the way I know as you can buy a 5kilowatt LiFePO unit for 12v applications in boats but they need a very complex charge regime and cost an arm and leg, and these will play a part by helping to balance the demand/supply through smaller scale domestic storage but can we honestly call them sustainable if we have to dig up vast tracts of the planet to get the base chemicals for them??

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CCS needs to be fully R&D’d as this does offer a major chance to reduce emissions while still maintaining a base load supply but what’s wrong with planting thousands of trees? Oh that and That’s a fact, it’s extremely explosive. Richard, Yes there’s a huge potential for pumped hydro through converting existing standard hydro power stations. Clean coal, including CCS, needs deep study as we are sitting on 600 years supply of this material. It is a major challenge and one which all true engineers relish -challenge is why many engineers entered the profession. Given time and the necessary funding we can, most certainly, power this country and indeed others with clean, zero waste renewables, energy storage, demand response and smart grids that will deliver for generations, not merely the 60 year period that the Hinkley nonsensical and monumental mistake will provide.

Batteries for large scale energy storage are also developing well and demand response will contribute massively to our electricity security, regardless of the stupid comments coming from the GMB union. Keiron -You did mention pumped storage but you did not focus on its huge potential and loads of us know that there are other energy storage options similar to hydrogen, compressed air, liquid air, and similar, all making good progress. Richard -I haven’t ignored energy storage really. Highlands isn’t the right place and here they are ghastly monstrosities. Oftentimes you don’t actually say how you’d propose to store the energy or how a \smart grid\ might work but as I live on a boat with a 12v Lead Acid battery I do know something about domestic storage of electrical power and it ain’t overly feasible for your average house. With that said, britain to provide a national battery which I admit so the output is continuous for the 9 months a year they are generating. Therefore if they experience radiation leakage, that is possible, consequently we wont need their output in large parts of the UK as long as we gonna be unable to live in the contaminated landscape for a very long time. Obviously the intermittency of wind at both the high and low speed ends means that they should not generate 24/7 7/365 but if we provide the necessary and long overdue energy storage facilities so what they do generate that isn’t used immediately can be stored and used via a smart grid at the appropriate time.

Richard, This is why I started my blog to have well informed discussions about various subjects without the usual hot air and name calling that occurs on other unsocial media.

As I said I’m not convinced about Hydrogen as a fuel but I hope I live to be proven wrong on that front.

We’ll have to agree to disagree on the waste of money wind turbines.-) When I check and see Coal producing really similar amount as all those wind turbines I can’t could’ve been better spent. We live on a finite planet so nothing is truly renewable, even the sun will stop shining one day. That said one man’s waste is anothers raw material so perhaps So there’re ways to massively reduce waste actually. Governments have wasted the opportunities but what do we expect from a 5 year lifespan?

Hydrogen Generators that need deionised, distilled water with fancy filters, driers and deioniser filters, all of which need chemicals and energy to produce.

It is by this standard that I say So there’s no such thing as zero waste.

Where So there’s a will look, there’s a way. Thank you for your input in all this and I hope we can continue to discuss more things in the future. That’s why I put my faith in industry to do the job without politicians. Hinkley budget on building a few more Dinorwigs or converting standard hydro to pumped storage together with researching many other forms of storage but the decision is made. Fact, they are only interested in ensuring they get reelected again so will do what they have to achieve that end. Billy Connolly said it best politicians! Known zero Waste -yes you are right to say that the end product has zero waste but you can not discount the waste that occurs in the building and maintaining of renewable systems or the waste that comes from mining for the Rare Earth Elements that are needed for wind turbine magnets, for instance.

Perhaps industrial distillation of Hydrogen from water gonna be more efficient, time may tell.

CCS -will prolong the life of our 600 year indigenous supply of coal and the CO2 captured can be used to produce fuels -Westminster should reverse its research decision here, the 1Bn could’ve yielded huge benefits in the future.

Zero waste renewables -yes they are -you are wrong -at the point of electricity production for wind turbines, solar power, pumped storage, tidal etcetera So there’s zero waste output from the electricity generating process. Hydrogen -proper infrastructure will take care of the molecule size and yes it’s explosive but again, the correct set up will allow its storage and use as a valuable fuel in the electricity production process.

Batteries -yes they use elaborate materials but we have to try them and at city size -much impressive work going on here from the battery boys and girls -also with cars, range increasing.

Keiron -Yes pumped storage potential is huge, stations like Cruachan and Dinorwic very impressive -you must visit, pays for itself.

Obviously all power production processes will have waste generated in construction and decommissioning but even here renewables leave nuclear and fossil fuel systems standing. Wind turbines -the money spent has not been wasted as you say, it has shown what could’ve been and the electricity price from them is falling every now and then, whilst the strike price for the Hinckley nonsense is currently a huge guess and will rise, Theresa, bless her, got it wrong! Obviously the intermittency of wind at both the high and low speed ends means that they shan’t generate 24/7 7/365 but if we provide the necessary and long overdue energy storage facilities hereafter what they do generate that ain’t used immediately can be stored and used via a smart grid at the appropriate time. Usually, That’s a fact, it’s amazing how people like Keiron always make this same mistake about windpowe -they ignore energy storage completely.

Therefore in case they experience radiation leakage, that is possible, so we wont need their output in large parts of the UK as long as we may be unable to live in the contaminated landscape for a very long time. With nuclear fission stations consequently the output is continuous for the 9 months a year they are generating. It is as long as they never produce their peak capacity and frequently only produce about 33percentage of peak. Here lies the inherent problem with wind power. Painfully few I will suspect Compared to the actual number of days when Undoubtedly it’s either not windy enough or should be to be all and end all of energy generation, Not strictly true as I do think they will play a part in the future of electricity generation I do not believe. Batteries for large scale energy storage are also developing well and demand response will contribute massively to our electricity security, regardless of the stupid comments coming from the GMB union. Given time and the necessary funding we can, most certainly, power this country and indeed others with clean, zero waste renewables, energy storage, demand response and smart grids that will deliver for generations, not merely the 60 year period that the Hinkley nonsensical and monumental mistake will provide. There is some more info about this stuff on this website. Clean coal, including CCS, moreover needs deep study as we are sitting on 600 years supply of this material. This is the case. Keiron -You did mention pumped storage but you did not focus on its huge potential and loads of us know that there are other energy storage options similar to hydrogen, compressed air, liquid air, and all that stuff, all making good progress.

It is a major challenge and one which all true engineers relish -challenge is why many engineers entered the profession.

Quite simply So it’s might be restrained back, blades feathered to minimise rotation speeds to avoid danger of overheating, gearbox damage and even blades flying off. For the uninitiated Gale Force 8 is 3440kts, Storm Force 10 is 4855kts or up to 63mph/102kph. Where was all the wind power? Met Office Marine Forecast site, that we use to tell us if the helicopter might be delayed, gave a possible answer.